


Two Feet

by captainamergirl



Category: One Life to Live
Genre: But Marty chooses herself and her baby, Gen, Marty and John's baby didn't die, NOT JOHN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 03:17:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16188953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: Marty didn't miscarry. She still has the baby. She may not end up with John, but it works out for her anyway.





	Two Feet

**Two Feet**   
  
"What are we going to call the little one?" John McBain mused as he looked over at Marty wearing a tight but still awed expression on her face.   
  
"Not sure," she said as she watched the monitor where the tiny little grainy image of a heart was beating. Strongly, very strongly. Thank god. She had survived being shoved down the stairs and more importantly, so had the baby.   
  
"No worries," the obgyn said. "Your baby is fine. No harm, no foul."   
  
Marty nodded and clutched her still flat stomach. Seven and a half months to go; she would try not to worry too much about her baby's fate until then. As long as she took her prenatal vitamins, and rested and came to all her appointments, her little baby would be okay. Things might not work out with John but she had her baby and dammit that was more than enough.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
Marty cupped her growing belly as she read the letter in disbelief once again. Natalie. The nerve of that little wench. Sending John a letter declaring her "undying love" when Marty was three months pregnant.   
  
Marty patted her belly. "It's alright, little one," she said. "I'll make this right somehow."   
  
She went to shred the letter, rip it into so many pieces that they could never be put back together, but something made her resist. She would present the letter to John and if he still wanted to go to Natalie, then she'd know what she was trying so hard to hold onto with him wasn't worth fighting for anymore. All that mattered was her baby and Cole and that was plenty.   
  
She looked up as John walked over to his desk. He offered her one of those dimpled but seemingly still forced smiles she had been tolerating for far too long. She smiled back as widely as she could.    
  
  
"Hey, beautiful," he greeted her, going to kiss her cheek but she pulled away instinctively. She still loved him, of course she did, but she was trying to pull away, distance herself before the inevitable happened.   
  
John sighed. "Are you okay?"   
  
"Yeah," Marty said. She then shoved the letter in his hand. "This came for you. I shouldn't have opened it ..."   
  
John shook his head as if to dismiss the thought. "Who's it from?"   
  
"Look for yourself," Marty said and watched his face as he unfolded the letter. She watched him closely as he read it and noticed an almost imperceptible shift in his expression. It came and went quickly but she saw it. A brief flash of desire. He wanted to run out and find Natalie before she left town, stop her and declare his true feelings. Feelings he had never been comfortable sharing with Marty herself.   
  
Marty sighed as John closed the letter and dropped it on his desk. "I shouldn't have read it. I just noticed the little squiggly hearts and -" Her voice broke off as John's hand came to rest on her arm.   
  
"It's okay," he said evenly. "I am not going to respond to it. You and me - we're a packaged deal, right? We're having a little tike."   
  
Marty nodded. "Yes, John, we are, but that doesn't mean we necessarily belong together."   
  
"What are you saying?"   
  
"That I may have your baby growing inside of me but Natalie already has your heart. So go to her."   
  
John shook his head. "Marty, don't be like this, okay? Natalie and I are just friends."   
  
"Oh yes. That letter screams 'friendly'."   
  
"Marty, you and I are having a baby."   
  
"Yes and lots of parents raise their kids separately just fine. I will never cut you out of our child's life but I can't see you involved in mine right now."   
  
She picked up her purse and started to walk away but suddenly John called out. "Marty, don't go. I lo- love you."   
  
A stunned silence fell over the police station. People were as in shock at John McBain saying those words as Marty was to hear them.    
  
She turned around and sadly shook her head. "You don't love me. You loved rescuing me, playing my knight in shining armor. You loved me when I was just another clueless victim and could only depend on you to save me. But I'm getting stronger, John. A lot stronger and I know eventually I can stand on my own two feet and won't need you to support me or anchor me."   
  
She watched him, noted the look of true indecision on his face. Should he push Marty to believe something they both really didn't or just let her go?   
  
All he said was, "I wish you wouldn't be so angry."   
  
Marty shook her head. "I'm not, John. I'm resolved. I'm moving on and you should too. After all, Natalie is waiting."   
  
XoXoXo   
  
She got to walk out of the police station with a little of her dignity intact but not as much as she would have liked. She had sounded bitter and while she knew that was okay and justified, especially in her condition, she wished she really would have been strong enough not to care.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
She went into early labor the same night Cole shot and killed Elijah Clarke. Eli had kidnapped Cole's girlfriend and his beloved daughter and it had been revealed that he was also the one who shoved Marty down the stairs, almost killing Marty and his little brother.   
  
Marty knew it was too soon for the baby to come - a whole month too early - but there was no stopping nature. She gave birth to a little 4 pound baby boy while alternately screaming in pain and screaming for Cole, wanting to know if he was really going to be alright.   
  
John tried to calm her, tell her to focus on the here and now, but it was hard. So, so hard. She got to see her new son for a moment before he was taken to NICU. She cried and John tried to comfort her but it was useless. She was beyond despondent right then.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
Kingston Cole Saybrooke-McBain was released from the hospital the day Cole was sent to prison. Marty brought Kingston - or "King" for short - to the courtroom before the trial began and she and Cole cried together, looking at the little blue-eyed baby boy Cole would never really get to know in the next ten to twenty he was expected to be in prison. Marty apologized for putting Cole in that position, somehow inciting him to violence against Eli, though Cole assured her that it wasn't her fault. He told her he just wanted her to be happy and make peace with John about all of this. It was hard considering John had always looked the other way for his friends when it came to lawbreaking but hadn't done the same for Cole.   
  
"It's not his fault, Mom," Cole said, trying to sound braver than he could have actually felt.   
  
  
"I know that deep down," Marty murmured as she clutched the baby protectively to her breast, wishing she could always protect King and Cole from the world. Knowing she couldn't do that hurt so damn much.   
  
"Well you know it's true," Cole said. "You can't stay mad at him about this. It's not good for my brother or you either for that matter."   
  
Marty nodded and kissed Cole's cheek. "When did you get so wise?"   
  
Cole nodded and smirked even though the humor of it didn't touch his somber eyes. "Good genes."   
  
"Your dad would have been so proud of you," Marty said. "You are a really good man."   
  
Cole nodded and rested his forehead against Marty's own for a long, tearful moment. "I wish I could have known him."   
  
"Me too," Marty said. "Me too."   
  
XoXoXo   
  
Cole went to prison - sentenced for fifteen years for a murder that while it should never have happened, had been done to protect his family. Marty found herself sitting on the sofa with Kingston one day when John poked his head in the door.   
  
He was carrying flowers of all things. "Can I come in?" He asked, his lips turned up in a little hopeful smile.   
  
Marty nodded. Cole had asked her to forgive John. The least she could do was hear him out. They would never be lovers again in her mind but they could try to be in the same room again without Marty wanting to strangle him herself. He and Natalie were engaged last she had heard anyway. There was some irony in that but she tried not to laugh out loud at it as she rocked a sleepy King in her arms.   
  
"Flowers?" Marty said. "What's the occasion?"   
  
"I realized with everything that... happened ... that I didn't bring you any when our little guy was born."   
  
Marty nodded. "Well thanks. I love daisies."   
  
"I know," John said. "You told me that once and I should have brought you a bouquet everyday we were together."   
  
Marty looked down at King, lightly brushed a little lock of his dark brown hair away from his face. He cooed at her and she smiled for what seemed like the first time in forever. "You gave me King. That's better than flowers. Not that I don't appreciate them."   
  
John came over and pointed to the seat on the sofa beside her. "May I?"   
  
"Sure."   
  
John lightly scooted in next to Marty and leaned over her, looking at his son. "He's got your eyes," he said. "I love his eyes."   
  
Marty nodded and looked away. When she turned back, John's lips were hovering near hers. She sighed. "John, please. Don't."   
  
"Sorry but I - I miss you, Marty."   
  
"It took me having your baby to realize that?"   
  
"No. I have felt it for awhile."   
  
"And Natalie? How would she feel about this?"   
  
"We broke up."   
  
"Her choice or yours?"   
  
"A little of both," John admitted. "I realized she wasn't ... you."   
  
Marty sighed and put Kingston over her shoulder. "John, I'm not going back there. I know you think you need to save me from myself now that my eldest son is in prison but ... I promise you that I'm going to be okay. For once in my damn life, I am completely standing on my own two feet. We can be friends, co-parents, but that's it. I am perfectly content with King being the main man in my life right now."   
  
"Maybe someday..."   
  
"No, John. Let's not make promises we can't keep. I won't give you false hope either," Marty said. "It's okay anyway. I don't need you to save me anymore."    
  
She kissed her little boy's shoulder and looked back at John. "I promise you this. I'm going to be just fine standing on my own two feet."   
  
FINIS 


End file.
